[RTC List] Wireless advice

[William Van Hefner]

Michael,

There are quite a few national wireless providers. I've investigated them
all at some point. Here's a very basic rundown, from my perspective:

AT&T - GSM Service in most of Humboldt County. TDMA and analog service
from Edge was phased-out awhile ago. Not as good coverage as Verizon or
U.S. Cellular. No roaming if outside of their coverage area, since they
are the only GSM provider in Humboldt. Good nationwide coverage outside of
area, including international.

Verizon - CDMA coverage in most of Humboldt County with roaming in some
spots where not available. Excellent nationwide coverage.

U.S. Cellular - Has most extensive local CDMA network with coverage in
most areas of Humboldt County. National coverage areas few and far between
though. Provides nationwide roaming service at higher prices.

Sprint - Known primarily for being "the cheapest", Sprint has minimal
network facilities in Humboldt. Signal disappears South of Fortuna,
although they do allow roaming on U.S. Cellular's network for free on most
plans, but it doesn't work everywhere, and SMS/data services don't work AT
ALL in outlying areas. Side note: Sprint's network is completely oversold
in this area. Unless you are within range of more than one Sprint cell
site, you can expect all of your calls to be dropped at some point when
the capacity of the tower you are on is exceeded. Sprint shut down their
only local store last year. Nationwide coverage is second rate, at best.
Customer service is worst in the industry.

MetroPCS - A relative newcomer to the area, MetroPCS is a Mobile Virtual
Network Operator, or MVNO. They have no network of their own. At present,
they seem to be using Sprint's network here locally. The biggest
limitation being that they offer NO roaming whatsoever, beyond Sprint's
already limited coverage area. By far the most affordable though at around
$40/mo for unlimited service. Don't expect much coverage beyond the
Eureka/Arcata/Fortuna city limits though, and be prepared for plenty of
dropped calls. Nationwide coverage is minimal. If you can remember back
that far, their coverage is about equal to that of U.S. Cellular's... in
1995!

T-Mobile - No service locally. I'm not sure that they even allow their
customers to roam in this area.

Boost Mobile - Another MVNO. This one is prepaid though. Looks to be using
Sprint's network as well. Offers unlimited service for around $50 a month.
Haven't tried them, but would expect results to be similar to MetroPCS.

TracFone - Another prepaid MVNO. Sold in many local stores. The
interesting thing with this company is that it purchases network capacity
from more than one carrier. The coverage you get is dependent upon what
model of phone you buy. Some use the Sprint network. Others use Verizon.
Their website has more detailed info. Definitely more expensive than Boost
or MetroPCS, but much better nationwide coverage. Their phones also cost a
LOT less than the other MVNOs. Around $15.

Other prepaid MVNOs - I haven't tried any of these locally. Would
appreciate any feedback. Google for more info: Virgin Mobile, Liberty
Wireless and Lucky Wireless.

A word of advice about MVNOs. Never invest too much in one of their
phones, since these companies have been dropping like flies the last
couple of years. Usually, their phones are worthless afterwards. Some big
MVNOs that have folded are Disney Wireless, ESPN Wireless and AMPD Mobile.


-- 
William Van Hefner - President
Vantek Communications, Inc.
e-mail: vantek at humboldtonline.com